Accurate trace metal analysis in whole blood by ICP-MS depends strongly on sample preparation. This study compares three practical pre-treatment strategies: simple acid dilution, non-digestion & microwave digestion, for simultaneous determination of arsenic, lead, cadmium, manganese, chromium, cobalt, and thallium in whole blood. The methods were assessed for analytical recovery, precision, matrix effect, carryover, turnaround time, reagent consumption, & per-sample processing cost. The simple HNO3 dilution method demonstrated the best balance of accuracy, speed, and economy, showing comparable recoveries to digestion for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), Arsenic (As), Manganese (Mn), Cobalt (Co), Chromium (Cr) & Thallium(Tl), while significantly reducing sample preparation time and acid usage. The simple HNO3 dilution method demonstrated the equally comparable result with non-digestion Triton X-100/NH3 method & Microwave digestion method.
Rohit Saxena*1, Nimmi Kansal1, Mah Alam1, Murugesan Suresh2 (2026) studied this question.